The Real End
by Brummie-Babe
Summary: Aragorn has died, Legolas has made a boat for him and Gimli to sail across the sundering seas with Aragorn, Merry and Pippin's bodies. Arwen is there to say goodbye, but while she is there Legolas finds something out he should have known already


Disclaimer: No I do not own any of these characters, I am just borrowing them. *&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*  
  
"Gimli?" Legolas asked. "Are you ready?" The dwarf stood slowly up, reaching out for his walking stick.  
  
"As ready as I will ever be." He said in his rough voice, only a hint of the Scottish accent he used to have.  
  
Men loaded the 3 stone beds onto the magnificent hand carved boat, the elf still full of life, still young but aged with grief and distress had made in solitude. The only company he had had while working away hour after hour, week after week were the shadows of his friends now gone, now dead.  
  
"Legolas?" A woman asked. He turned towards her, an ages woman but still more beautiful than the setting sun was in front of him. She was dressed in black and a veil covered her face, it stopped anyone from seeing the grief that her eyes bore. "Make me a promise, will you do that Legolas?" he lowered his eyes to the floor, "Tell my father I am sorry I didn't come but this country still needs me, he will not see me again for in a couple of years I too will die and be with my love once again." He looked up shocked. "Don't act surprised my dear elf, for you too knew."  
  
"Yes, I admit I did know but I hoped, I wished I was wrong that I would be able to talk you into coming with us. I suppose I didn't truly understand what the bond between you and Aragorn was until it was too late." Arwen lifted her soft hand to his face.  
  
"There are many bonds in this world, Legolas. Few are known, for I only know of 1 other bond that was true."  
  
"And that would be who? Did or do they know?"  
  
"Legolas, I thought you knew. Their names were Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took, Legolas it was Pippin and Merry." Legolas looked away towards the boat were the two hobbits were laid side by side like they had always in life.  
  
"It wasn't like the bond I had with Aragorn. They didn't love each other in the way we did but there was a bond so strong that the death of Merry couldn't break it. Because soon after his death did an old but healthy Pippin die as well." A single tear fell down Legolas's face. For that memory though it was old was still tender and delicate.  
  
"Their bond grew from the first time they set eyes upon each other, Pippin being 3 days old. It grew out of friendship and respect and never broke." Arwen carried on. "Merry waited patiently for his day to come but if you can remember Pippin was nervous. He didn't know if he could live alone, but he didn't know why he felt like this. Do you remember that every time you went to visit Merry, Pippin was by his side sometimes asleep sometimes awake?" Legolas nodded.  
  
"And did you not notice that even though Pippin became Thane of the Shire his older cousin still looked after him? Till the day he died? Even though he wasn't a useless youngster then as when he was in the fellowship?" Legolas did, but there was one thing he wanted to know.  
  
"What about Samwise and Frodo?"  
  
"Did they have a bond?" Arwen said  
  
"Yes."  
  
"No, their friendship was strong and just and they loved each other as much as Merry and Pippin but they hadn't known each other for as long. Also Merry and Pippin became friends on their own accord, Sam and Frodo were pushed together by powers stronger that any of us for that trip into Mordor. They were good for each other but no bond was made between the two." Legolas said nothing and nor did Arwen.  
  
Gimli coming out onto deck shouted to Legolas; "Hurry up, we must be on out way."  
  
"I must go, Arwen I am sure I will see you again but if not be careful and wary." She nodded another tear falling. At that he smiled at her and jumped up onto the boat with as much strength he had. The boat set sail floating gently away like a leaf on a stream.  
  
"There go the last two living members of the fellowship." A man said next to Arwen.  
  
"And the last living Elf in Middle Earth." He laughed to himself. "The end of an ere really."  
  
* That is true. The end of an ere and the beginning of a new one. Legolas was right I don't belong here, I did but everything has changed now, *  
  
Arwen turned her back on them and walked slowly back to her city, back to her children and back to her life. She wasn't going to cry for the deaths anymore, she will see them all again. 


End file.
